24 May 2008
Photos:
Site of Church of St Peter and surrounding caves and stone monument.
Images from Hatay Museum, Antakya
At 8.30 am we depart via minibus and drive over majestic mountains to see the fertile plains laid out below us as far as the eye can see in a patchwork of golds and greens made up of crops of wheat, barley, cotton, maize, onion, garlic, potatoes, apricot and olive trees. We pass by a huge military camp and police training school as we cross over the plains to our destination of Antakya (referred to as Antioch several times in the New Testament - Acts Chapter 11, verse 26).
We visit the Church of St Peter, an ancient natural cave sanctuary with 23 km of tunnels honeycombing the mountains nearby, used in 47 AD so that worshippers from the first Christian community can study the apostles of St Peter, St Paul and St Barnabus. Unfortunately St Peters Church is closed for maintenance, but we climb the hillside and imagine the people living here during the beginning of Christian times.
We move on from here to the Hatay Mosaic Museum where mosaics from throughout the region have been excavated and recreated here maintained in safety for perpetuity. This museum is a must see and leaves us in awe of the work which has been done to preserve these wonderful artefacts. Excavations first started in 1932. Classification of the mosaics took 9 years. The museum first opened in 1948 and was extended during 1973, reopening in 1974.
It contains Hittite and Assyrian Mosaics, golden artefacts and stone exhibits.
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